Posts

Happy pre-Friday, friends! Hopefully you’ve got something fun planned this weekend. Spring has decided to get off to a bit of a lazy start, so we are planning to curl up and be a little lazy – hey, you got to take it where you can, you know 😉

Easter is this weekend and we thought it could be fun to whip up a pre-brunch breakfast recipe. We’ve made doughnuts (remember these lemon ones with grapefruit glaze?) & we’ve even tried our hand at gluten-free guys (tell me you haven’t forgotten about these chocolate beauties with espresso glaze?!) but we’ve never tried our hand at festive holiday doughnuts….and by that I, of course, mean playing around with pastel icing.

This recipe is fantastically simple, fool-proof, and really fun – plus, it leaves your house smelling like a delicious bakery & no one can be upset about that. Give it a try & tell us what you think. Want to use a light blue icing instead of pink, do it! Play around & have fun – that’s the best part.

3. Pour the mixture into a doughnut pan & bake until 10-14 minutes. Remove & place on wire rack to cool.

4. While your donuts are cooling, it’s time to whip up the icing! In a medium mixing bowl, add your powdered sugar, unsweetened almond milk, and vanilla extract, mix well until nice & smooth. If you want two different color icings, evenly separate into two batches & add in food coloring. To get this pink color, use one drop of red – for purple, use one red & one purple. Mix well until color is thoroughly blended.

5. Place a paper towel under your wire rack, put the donuts on the wire rack, and glaze away!

Now comes the fun part! Grab some coconut flakes, sprinkles, edible flowers from the grocery story, or heck even some extra Easter egg candy & get to decorating.

Having friends over? Save the decorating for when they arrive & have a fun little donut decorating party. Easter eggs are great and all, but I’ll take a donut decorating party any day!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions , food obsessions, and bad jokes are mine.

Looking for that perfect cake to bring to a get-together, brunch, or shower? Well ladies, step aside, because Elizabeth is flexing her cake decorating skills and showing us how to master the most delicious cake known to mankind – the blood orange cake with honey mascarpone frosting. I mean, it’s pure perfection!

It’s stunning, delicious, and a total showstopper! Get the skinny from Elizabeth below. Love what you see, tell us your thoughts below! – xoxo, LK

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 Cups of cake flour

1 1/2 Cups of granulated sugar

1 Teaspoon of course salt

1 Tablespoon of baking powder

5 Large eggs, separated

1/2 Cup of blood orange juice or your favorite citrus juice

1 Tablespoon of blood orange zest

1/2 Cup of vegetable oil

+ extra flour & non stick baking spray for cake tins

HONEY MASCARPONE FROSTING

1 Stick of unsalted butter at room temp

8 Oz of mascarpone cheese or cream cheese

1 1/2 Teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

1 Teaspoon of salt

3-4 Tablespoons of honey

4 Cups of powdered sugar

*milk on an as needed base

INSTRUCTIONS:

*For this recipe I used three 6-inch cake tins, two 8-inch will work as well. Spray cake tins with non stick spray and spread flour thinly on sides and bottom of tins, set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl sift cake flour and add in salt and baking powder and set aside.

1. In a large bowl separate egg yolks and whites into 2 large bowls, reserve the yolks. With a stand or hand mixer fitted with a wire whip, whip egg whites until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Set aside.

2. With a stand or hand mixer combine sugar and egg yolks. Slowly pour in vegetable oil and blood orange juice and zest, mix. Add flour mixture to wet mixture in three separate segments mixing until just combined after each one. Remove from mixer and gently fold in egg whites until incorporated.

*Whisking your egg whites separately and gently folding them in will ensure a light and airy cake batter. Pour evenly into cake tins and bake for 20-25 mins. Cakes are done when a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool for 30 mins. Take a knife and make a ring around the tin sides, if any of the cake has stuck this will help release it. With a serrated knife edge cut any dome tops off your cakes.

3. In a large mixing bowl with a stand or hand mixer beat butter, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, salt and honey until light and fluffy, about 3 mins. Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, checking for texture after each addition. Add in one tablespoon of milk as needed to thin frosting.

Happy Monday! Constance here. Please tell me I’m not the only one who is seriously struggling with coming off of the chocolate high after the holidays?! It seems to be so much more difficult than it was last year. I’m a firm believer in the gradual change, and I think that this little recipe falls a bit more into the power bar/trail mix category than the dessert category. Right? And dark chocolate is basically a superfood. Thus, I bring you Ginger & Walnut Dark Chocolate Bark. It’s easy. It’s delicious. And it’s obviously super healthy…

INGREDIENTS:

-18 oz. dark chocolate chips or chunks

-2 tablespoons almond extract

-1 cup candied ginger, chopped

-1 cup walnuts, chopped

-1 cup shaved almonds

INSTRUCTIONS:

-Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
-In a medium sized saucepan, heat chocolate on low until melted. Stir often.
-Once melted, add almond extract and whisk until smooth.
-Remove from heat and add all but 1/3 cup of ginger, 1/3 cup of walnuts and 1/3 cup of almonds.

-Stir until evenly combined.
-Pour chocolate mixture into prepared pans.
-Sprinkle the remaining ginger, walnuts and almonds evenly on both prepared pans.
-Refrigerate bark for at least one hour (preferably overnight) until firm.
-Remover from refrigerator, cut into squares, and serve.

Happy Monday, friends! We here at LK HQ believe that each day is worth celebrating, even if just a little bit. As Monday’s always get a bad rap, we’ve decided to make it better with some chocolate! Not just any chocolate, mind you, molten lava cake from BERLIN.

Meet Margaret, today’s lovely baker. She currently lives in Berlin, works for an amazing app, and can bake like the best of them. Don’t believe me? See below!

Well, it’s true…summer is almost over. And, to be honest, I’m not even upset about it. Don’t get me wrong, I love warm nights and baking under the sun, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I cannot wait for fall.

I’ve had enough of the heat and just want to wrap myself in a scarf and some cashmere—spending my days watching the leaves change and cradling warm cups of tea. Oh, and tucking into one of these. Decadent, dark chocolate cakes with a warm molten center.

Now that it’s cooling down, it’s finally time to get the kitchen warmed back up. And that means chocolate. Not that I ever need a seasonal excuse to indulge, but when the clouds start rolling in, these little devils and a big cup of Earl Grey are my go to.

Lucky for me I work for a cooking app called Kitchen Stories, so I get my pick of the bunch. But, lucky for you, it’s free in the App Store and has enough delicious recipes to keep you cooking all year long. Follow the steps below and make this chocolate molten lava cake dream a reality. For more tips and tricks, as well as videos, find a link to the app at the end…

Yes. It MELTS in your mouth. Quick tip, to keep it nice and gooey, stick to a shorter baking time or for a cakier texture feel free to tack on a couple more minutes. Also, if you don’t have these particular tins, a muffin pan is a great stand in.

Now, we know you have a favorite summer to fall recipe to share… and don’t be shy because we’re hungry and curious! Just tag #LKmakes and @1kitchenstoriesand we’ll show it off.

Hello lovely people! Constance here! Happiest Monday to you and yours. I’m reclaiming Mondays and choosing to celebrate instead of lament. How you ask? Well, I’ve officially decided that Mondays were made for cake and with fig season in full swing, I can think of nothing better to top today’s honey almond bundt cake…or anything for that matter.

One of my absolute favorite gifts from my sweet husband was the cutest little fig tree that he planted in front of our house when I was traveling for work. He’s always been such a good gift giver, but this truly blew me away. I’m obsessed, and I cannot believe how much fruit it’s given us already!

Combine this abundance with a classic almond cake, and I’m in heaven. This delicious honey almond bundt cake is great for a shower, a birthday, any holiday, or any old Monday afternoon–your choice! Bon appétit!

I’ve always considered pears to be a winter fruit. I adore them, but I can honestly say I’ve never had a strong pear craving in the heat of summer, especially when an Arizona summer tops off at a balmy 125 degrees. I’m sure that our followers in the snowy northeast can relate–I’ve been dreaming of days spent by the pool with grapefruits, peaches, and little swirly drinks with fancy straws. That being said, I felt it necessary to bid this wonderful friend adieu with one last recipe full of warmth, spice, and all the cozy things that come with winter.

This roasted spiced pear recipe is so simple & sweet–thus it’s appeal, right? And the best news, the measurements are all about your preference and taste. So grab a couple of Bosc pears on your next outing and say cheers and farewell to the last 6 weeks of winter…..or so says that friendly little groundhog.

INGREDIENTS:

– 2 Bosc pears

– Olive Oil

– Ground Cinnamon

– Nutmeg

– Walnuts

– Honey

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Halve pears (with a knife) and shell out core with a spoon

3. Lightly coat the inside with olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

4. Roast halves face up until tender – about 25-30 minutes

5. Remove from oven and immediately fill with walnuts and drizzle with honey